


Didn't Notice

by electroniccollectiondonut



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), Enemies to Friends, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Good Lotor (Voltron), Hiding Medical Issues, Light Angst, Post-Season/Series 04, Pre-Season/Series 05, Sickfic, Use Your Words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 12:40:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17043914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electroniccollectiondonut/pseuds/electroniccollectiondonut
Summary: The walk to the med bay was more somber than it had any right to be, considering that only a month ago Lotor had been their deadly enemy.





	Didn't Notice

Matt noticed first. He wouldn't have if Lotor hadn't offered to help him decode a particularly tricky Galra cipher, but it was hard not to notice with both of them pressed up to the same console. The prince was fever warm even through the ever-present armor, and purple skin couldn't hide the flush that had settled high on his face. Matt wanted to worry. He did. But then Lotor pointed out a series of symbols on the display that didn't match up with the rest and he was too busy to worry.

 

Pidge was next. Her sleep schedule was erratic at best, and it wasn't uncommon for her to sit awake working on a new project well into the early hours of the morning and fall asleep in various rooms around the Castle. However, 'asleep in the lounge' wasn't a phrase that was generally attributed to Lotor. 'Having a nightmare' even less so. Yet that was exactly what was happening when she stumbled into the lounge at what had to be an unholy hour after updating Voltron's cloaking subroutine. She stared for a moment before pulling out her bayard--just in case--and shaking him awake. She was surprised by the amount of heat coming off of him. Allura and Coran didn't run this warm, and neither did any of the Blades she had met. The prince glanced at her, then around the room, then stood and swept out the door without a word. She shrugged and flopped down on the bench where he had just been sitting.

 

Hunk prided himself on his ability to determine what foods a person liked. Once Lotor had dropped his conviction that they were going to poison him, he ate as much as anyone else, though, to Hunk's frustration, he didn't show any particular preferences. When Lotor made a face and pushed his plate away, Hunk thought he was finally showing an opinion, until he remembered that the prince had eaten the same thing just fine a week ago.

"Hey," he started, projecting the proper amount of concern into his voice, "You alright?"

"I'm fine," Lotor snapped. Then, softer, "Just tired." He stood, gathering his plate and heading toward a side door that led to the kitchen.

 

Allura wouldn't have realized anything was amiss if not for her mice. She avoided Lotor except at meals, and even then she sat as far from the Galra prince as possible. So when her mice came to her chattering about someone needing help, Lotor was the last person to come to mind. She followed them to a section of the Castle that was rarely used even ten thousand years ago. She almost turned around when she saw Lotor, sitting on the floor with his back to the wall and knees drawn up to his chest, but a string of exhausted coughs followed by a vain attempt to catch his breath made her stay. She knelt beside him, not touching.

"Are you alright?" The obvious answer was no, but she didn't know what else to say.

Lotor glanced over at her in surprise, lips colored magenta for a moment before he wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. Allura let real worry flood her voice when she repeated the question, and Lotor hesitated before answering.

"No."

Allura had expected denial or silence or silver-tongued reassurances, anything but admittance. She moved closer. Lotor was almost asleep when Coran called for her over the comms. She stood, careful not to wake him, and started to walk away. He caught her wrist, glassy eyes pleading. "Don't tell them. Please." She searched his face, for what she wasn't sure, and finally nodded.

 

Coran sat on the bridge with Allura, listening to her talk long after everyone else had gone to sleep. "He said not to tell anyone, but I'm worried, Coran."

 

Voltron was ready for more information on the Galra. Shiro knocked on the door to Lotor's room before entering and was shocked to see the prince asleep in the middle of the day, curled up against the wall with the blanket kicked to the floor. Shiro gathered up the blanket and spread it over the sleeping prince, noting with concern that he could hear a stuttery quality in Lotor's breath and that the half-Galra was far too warm to be healthy. He could get information later, he decided.

 

Keith was rarely at the Castle anymore, but on his next visit, it took all of a few hours for him to realize that something was off. Lotor was the same shade of sickly gray he had seen on injured Blades who knew they'd lost too much blood to survive the mission. He was hiding it well, but judging by the concerned looks Allura and Coran kept sending him, not well enough. Though the rest of the Paladins plus Matt seemed blissfully ignorant, so Lotor had to be at least functioning. Keith didn't get a chance to confront the prince before Kolivan was sending him out on another mission.

 

Lance was the last to notice anything wrong. The Paladins, Keith, Coran, Matt, and Lotor were gathered on the bridge planning an assault on a Galra base. Allura moved her hands and her map whirled around the assembled company. Lotor breathed a small "Oh," and staggered back a step. Everyone turned toward him.

"What's wrong?" Shiro asked.

Lotor didn't answer, yellow eyes following the spin of the map for a moment and then rolling back in his head. Lance was closest to the prince and grabbed his arm to stop his descent before he could hit the floor. They determined that since Lance already had a hold on the unconscious Galra prince, he would carry him to the healing pod. Lance agreed, shoving away the part of his mind that panicked at how high Lotor's fever was and gathering him into his arms in a bridal carry. He was shockingly light.

Coran led the way, followed by Lance with Lotor and then the rest of the team. The walk to the med bay was more somber than it had any right to be, considering that only a month ago Lotor had been their deadly enemy.


End file.
